Page 21

Chapter 21

Henry

If I never saw the inside of a hospital again, it would be too soon.

My heart had been in my throat for hours. Not hearing from Jack and wondering where he was had me imagining the worst. My head throbbed as adrenaline continued to course through my veins at top speed. When Dad called to let me know he’d found Jack, relief washed over me.

Until he told me Jack had been in a wreck and was at the hospital.

I didn’t recall a single moment of the drive to the hospital—as scary as that was. Thank god for Sam, Hudson, and Lance—and for the good people of Haven Grove understanding why the Roadhouse was closing early.

My chest squeezed with the memory of bringing Dad to the hospital not so very long ago as I charged through the ER doors to get to Jack. This time, Dad met me and took me to a different waiting room .

“They’re letting us wait here until they’re ready for us to see him.”

“Tell me everything,” I demanded, my words rough and raw as I ran a shaky hand over my beard.

Dad put his hand on my shoulder and pushed me toward a chair. “He was awake and talking a bit when they brought him in. Nothing was visibly broken. He had a nasty gash on his head.”

None of this was new, Dad had already told me pretty much everything. But my mind wasn’t functioning right, and it helped to have something to focus on when all I really wanted was to slam through every inch of the hospital until I found Jack. “What the fuck happened?” I stared at the geometric pattern on the floor, not really seeing the shapes or colors, but focusing on something so I didn’t lose my damn mind.

Dad shrugged. “Can’t rightly say. He was on his way back from what I can tell. Maybe some loose gravel. Could have been speeding, I guess. But that doesn’t sound much like Jack.” He cracked his neck. “Truck might be totaled, not quite sure.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, this next part was the hardest to stomach.

“He was stuck upside down when I found him. Truck was flipped in the ditch, and he was hanging there. Seatbelt probably saved his life.”

A wrecked sob tore from my chest.

Fuck.

How long had Jack been stuck in that ditch? Hurt, scared, alone.

“Hey,” Dad said, his words gruff with what was probably unshed tears. “He couldn’t have been there very long, not based on when you said he left and when he should have been getting back home. If I had to guess, I came up on him pretty soon after it happened.”

I wasn’t sure how Dad knew what I was thinking. And honestly, I wasn’t even confident that his mathing would add up if I really took a look at it. But it helped to think Jack wasn’t hanging there for too long.

The door we’d entered earlier swung open, and Sam, Lance, and Hudson came barreling in behind a hospital volunteer. Hugs were given all around, and Dad launched into the details again, but I didn’t have the energy to listen to the specifics for a third time. My mind wandered as Dad filled the guys in, and a fist gripped my heart. Seriously, it took everything in me not to climb out of my skin and start busting down doors.

When someone who looked official finally came through another door, I jumped to my feet.

“With Jack Garner?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I croaked. “Yeah, that’s us. He’s my partner.”

Something crossed her face, and she cocked a brow. “I was under the impression his father-in-law was here?”

Dad cleared his throat. “That’s me. Jack is married to my son, Henry.” He gestured toward me, and I’d never been so grateful for my dad in my entire life. “Can we see him?”

She glanced between us. “You’re Henry? That’s who he’s been asking for.”

“Henry Riggs. He’s okay?”

“Two of you can go back at a time. He’s awake and doing well. Probably going to be sleepy from the medication, and he’s pretty banged up.” She gestured toward Lance, Sam, and Hudson. “Gentlemen, you can take turns as these two finish up.”

Lance nodded. “Tell him we’re here. One of you come fill us in.”

The nurse led us through the door and toward a long line of cubicles with their openings covered by curtains, and a whoosh of chilly, antiseptic-laden air wafted over us. When we reached A4, she held the curtain back for us, and I nearly sprinted through to get to Jack.

The tiny make-shift room was dim, and Jack looked small and pitiful in the bed. An angry gash on his temple had been stitched together, most of the dried blood cleaned up from around the wound, but enough evidence left behind that I knew he’d want to wash it away once he was home.

My guess was they’d cut his clothes off since he appeared to be swimming in a hospital gown under two heavy blankets. A machine beeped next to him, and a bag of something hung from a hook with a tube leading to his arm.

Dad and I immediately parted ways, me going to one side of the bed with a singular focus of getting closer to Jack, Dad taking up a guard dog position on the other. The moment I dropped into the chair and took Jack’s hand in mine, his eyes fluttered open.

He tried to say something. Swallowed, licked his lips, and tried again. Finally, he murmured my name barely above a whisper.

“Hey,” I said, my lips against the back of his hand.

A tear formed and threatened to spill from the corner of Jack’s eye, and I’d never been so pissed and grateful in my life. Pissed that he was upset and hurt, grateful that it hadn’t been worse.

So damn grateful.

“Shhh,” I said. “It’s okay.”

Jack shuddered, a sob escaping his lips as the tear cascaded down his cheek.

Without a moment’s consideration for anything other than Jack, I shifted from the chair to the edge of his bed before gathering him in my arms as gently as possible. Luckily, the IV was on the other side, and the other items were stuck to his chest pretty tightly.

Dad grabbed the call-button thingy just before it tumbled to the ground, but my focus was completely on Jack. Pressing soft kisses to his forehead, careful to avoid the gash, I whispered, “Shhh, it’s okay. I love you.” Then with a whoosh of breath, I finally let it all go and hefted out a sob. “Fuck, Jack. I was so damn scared.”

Jack gave a half laugh, half sob into my chest. “You and me both. I’m so sorry about your truck. I was scared no one would find me, and I was so worried because I knew you’d be worried.”

“I don’t give a damn about the truck.”

Dad cleared his throat and placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry about that truck. We’ll either build her back to shape or use her for scrap and fix up a different truck. You being okay is all that matters.”

Jack sniffled and nodded into my chest. “I tried to keep it on the road. Glad I was wearing my seatbelt. Hanging upside down wasn’t fun, but I think it kept me from the worst of it. ”

I held him for several heartbeats, just listening to him breathe and feeling him in my arms, almost like I needed to have him pressed against me to believe he was here and okay. I hadn’t lost him.

Fuck.

It could have turned out so much worse.

Dad patted Jack’s shoulder again. “I’m gonna tell the guys what’s going on and let them come back to see you.” He leaned down and brushed a kiss to the side of Jack’s head, and my heart clenched knowing just how much my dad loved this man of mine.

Jack winced as he reached for Dad’s hand. “Thank you for finding me and not leaving me alone.”

Dad nodded. “Nowhere else I would have been. It’s what we do for family.” The curtain fluttered back into position as he exited the cubicle.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t the one to find you,” I started.

Jack pressed a finger to my lips. “Shhhh, there’s no reason for you to be sorry. I had your truck. You were wrapped up with the deliveries and dinner. It makes sense that Casey Joe would have been the one to find me.” His big blue eyes had lost some of their sparkle behind the haze of medication, but he smiled up at me. “Plus, don’t tell me you weren’t the one who sent him out looking.”

I smiled and nuzzled my nose against his. “Yeah, okay. You wanna tell me what happened?”

Before he could answer, the curtain jangled, and Sam stuck his head into Jack’s little room. “Hey there, man.” The three of us talked a bit before Sam gave Jack a fist bump and left with a promise to send in Lance.

Lance came in looking as worried as Dad had, but talking to Jack seemed to ease his biggest concerns, and he told Jack he’d bring him some ice cream as soon as we had him settled on the couch at home.

“I won’t need to be on the couch for too long,” Jack started, but snapped his mouth shut as soon as I shot him a look. “I mean?—”

“I’m sure what you mean, oh love of mine,” I growled in his ear as we waited on Hudson to come visit, “is that you’ll definitely take the doctor’s orders seriously, and you’ll follow his discharge instructions to a T. If that means resting for several days, that’s what you’ll do. Right?”

Jack huffed. “Yes. If it means getting out of here and not having to stay overnight, I’ll do whatever they tell me to do.”

“Sounds kinky,” Hudson said with a huge grin as he flung the curtain to the side.

Because the bed was most definitely not made for someone my size to share it with another full-grown man, I eased from the mattress and took a seat, never letting go of Jack’s hand.

“Hey, baby brother,” Hudson said with complete sincerity. “You had us worried.” He touched his own forehead and nodded toward Jack. “Gonna have a sexy scar.”

Jack snorted. “Whatever.”

“Seriously, man. Guys go for scars. Especially older guys. They like to take care of us like we’re injured baby birds.” Hudson’s eyes twinkled, and he struggled to keep the smile hidden.

I grabbed a plastic bedpan and tossed it at his head, all of us laughing as Hudson yelped and dodged the projectile.

A nurse popped her head in and eyed us. “Can I get anyone anything?” Clearly annoyed with the noise we’d been making, she quickly made sure we knew she wasn’t down with any shenanigans.

Once she’d left, after giving us a particularly evil eye, Hudson ducked his head. “Oops, guess I better leave so you guys don’t get in trouble.” He leaned down to hug Jack before standing next to my chair and hauling my head against his stomach. “Love you. Let me know if you need anything. I can’t make cakes, but I can help however else you need me to.”

As Hudson gave one last wave and headed out, Jack’s phone buzzed from somewhere behind my chair.

Then it buzzed again.

“Is that yours?” Jack asked, his words heavy with exhaustion.

“Nope, must be yours. Dad said he grabbed it from the truck. Said he hoped your wallet was in your pocket, but your phone had landed up on the dash.” I stood and rifled through the cabinet behind my chair. A hospital bag contained Jack’s socks, shoes, and jeans along with his phone and wallet. His shirt didn’t seem to have made it through the accident unscathed.

As his phone buzzed again, I grabbed it and put the bag back in the small cabinet before handing the device to him.

Jack stared at the screen, frowned, then tapped in his unlock code. “Damn face messed up more than I thought, I guess,” he muttered .

“Huh?”

But just when he started to repeat himself, Jack’s face transformed from annoyed and exhausted to ghostly white and panicked.

“Jack?” I asked, moving quickly to his side. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, despair washing over him. “Fuck.”

“Babe, what is it? Let me help.” I settled myself back on his mattress and placed my hand on his thigh.

“How did he find me?” A sad hiccup escaped Jack as he wiped away what appeared to be a tear of mostly frustration. “I mean, it’s not like I tried to stay hidden in Haven Grove, but I thought I’d done a good job of throwing them off my track when I left.”

Dread and fury swirled in my gut. “Who? What’s going on?” But deep down, I knew.

Jack handed me his phone and covered his eyes with his hand, a heavy, shuddery breath seeping between his lips. “Douglas was the one who ran me off the road.”

Fiery red bloomed in my vision. Jack’s words and the words on his phone screen blurred together. “What? That fucker is here? He wrecked you?”

Jack nodded and gestured toward the phone. “He messaged me on Instagram—him or Joseph. It’s not like I kept the Cake and Cocktails account private. I mean, that kinda defeats the purpose of a business account.” He shut his eyes, scrunching up his face. “Damn it. Why didn’t I think to block them?”

“Did you know they had an account?”

He shook his head. “I guess I knew they had an account, but I don’t think that one is old. Probably made a new one.”

I glanced at the screen and ran a hand over my forehead. “I say we take screenshots of this and then block the account. You don’t need to be dealing with this shit.”

“But what’s he even mean?” Jack nodded toward the phone in my hand. “Give us back what you stole, and we’ll be even.”

I hadn’t even seen the words at first, but I took time to read them. “Did you take something when you left?”

Jack shook his head miserably. “I didn’t have time. Even if I’d wanted to steal from them, I left pretty quickly.”

I ran my hand up and down his thigh. “You wanna tell me about it?”

He leaned back on the inclined mattress with a sigh. “Not really, but it’s probably for the best.”

Quickly screenshotting the message, I saved the photo to Jack’s phone and then emailed it to myself. “You okay with me blocking this account?”

Jack nodded. “Yeah. It won’t make them stop, but maybe it will give me some time.”

I blocked the account and handed the phone back to Jack just as Dad walked through the curtain. “We need to call the police and let them know about the wreck.”

“What about the police?” he asked.

Jack ran a hand over tired eyes. “I know who wrecked me. It was Douglas.”

“You’re sure?” Dad asked, fury in his eyes.

“I’d recognize him anywhere. He lives in my nightmares. ”

I gave Dad a nod, and he left. I knew he’d get the authorities so they could take a statement from Jack. Not gonna lie, I wasn’t going to be upset if he went searching for Douglas and beat his ass.

But that wasn’t what Jack needed to be thinking about right then.

“Okay, tell me about the night you left.”